Today is day 2 and the niyama we are talking about today is Santosha. This is the practice of contentment, non coveting, or desiring possessions that are not yours. This is about accepting where you are right now. To practice santosha is not to lose all ambition and be content to sit back in an idle fashion. To practice santosha is to accept what you already have, appreciate what you already have, and move forward from there.
Many of the things we seek in life cause us to look outside of ourselves for joy (i.e., finding a partner, falling in love, having children, buying a home, buying a car, getting a new job, finishing a degree, getting a promotion). As we jump from goal to goal in life, knocking each goal down for that sense of achievement, satisfaction and “happiness,” we find ourselves juggling happiness, sadness, fear, love and loss. We celebrate our destinations, sometimes forgetting about the journey that brought us there. Forgetting the hurdles we jumped, the overtime put in at a job. The lessons we learn on our journeys should be valued and celebrated.
Santosha is about finding contentment along the journey, all we need really lies inside of ourselves. We need nothing outside of ourselves to be happy. To practice santosha is to be freed from the suffering that stems from always wanting more and never feeling satisfied. Santosha is about acceptance and contentment. If you are seeking happiness, you needn’t seek any longer because it lies inside of you already.
Ever go shopping but didn’t really need anything, but a friend got a new purse and she just looks so happy with her purse that it made you want a new purse? Nothing is wrong with your purse, you like your purse. But her purse just looks like it can make you happier. Mediate and try to find your contentment, try to figure out why you are wanting more.
Let me know how it goes. Until tomorrow my friends.
Namaste.
Flight Medic To Meditate 